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BREAKING DOWN ABLEISM

Casting, Diversity, and Disability

Theatre often struggles to include and embrace diverse voices and artists, and this is certainly true of artists with disabilities. However, directors and casting directors are uniquely positioned to change producing practices and the perceptions of audiences well before the lights go up, and indeed, even before the first rehearsal – and it starts with the casting breakdown. Join SDCF Foundation Director David Roberts as he sits down with director Sam Gold and casting director David Caparelliotis to discuss opportunities in collaborating with artists with disabilities. They will explore authentic representation of disabled characters by actors with disabilities, as well as the casting of those same actors in non-disabled roles, and how they as director and casting director navigate producers' expectations, critical reception, and audience response to their work with this underrepresented community of artists.

DAVID CAPARELLIOTIS opened Caparelliotis Casting (formerly MelCap Casting) in 2007 after 11 years on staff at Manhattan Theatre Club. He is a board member of Casting Society of America and on the diversity and inclusion committees of CSA. David has been nominated for and won several Artios Awards for casting in Broadway, off Broadway and regional productions. Caparelliotis Casting Broadway casting credits include the upcoming Three Tall Women and Saint Joan, as well as Meteor Shower, Jitney, A Doll’s House Part 2, The Front Page, Fish in the Dark, Blackbird, It’s Only a Play, Disgraced, Casa Valentina, The Snow Geese, Lyle Kessler’s Orphans, The Trip to Bountiful, Grace, The Other Place, Seminar, The Columnist, Stick Fly, Good People, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, Fences, Lend Me a Tenor, and The Royal Family. Caparelliotis Casting also casts for The Old Globe, Manhattan Theatre Club, Signature Theatre, Atlantic Theater Company, LCT3, Ars Nova, Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf, McCarter, Arena Stage, seven seasons for Second Stage and three seasons with Williamstown Theatre Festival. TV/film credits include HairBrained with Brendan Fraser, “American Odyssey” (NBC series), “How to Get Away with Murder” (ABC pilot), “Ironside” (NBC), and Steel Magnolias (Sony for Lifetime).